How do you choose running shoes without the jargon?

Walk into a running shop and you will meet a wall of shoes and a dictionary of words: responsive, energy return, propulsive, plush, rocker geometry, stack height. Some of these mean something to designers. Very few of them need to mean anything to you. What you need to know is how the shoe feels when you run in it.

Comfort first, and second, and third

The most useful question is the simplest: does this feel good? Not "will it feel good once I break it in", not "it's the one everyone at the club wears". Good, now, on your feet.

What "comfortable" tends to mean in practice:

• No pressure points. Nothing pinching the little toe, rubbing the heel or digging in across the top of the foot.
• Your heel stays put. It shouldn't lift out noticeably as you jog.
• Room for your toes. You should be able to wiggle them. Orthopaedic advice from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests leaving at least half an inch between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.
• It feels like it disappears. The best pair is often the one you forget you are wearing after a minute.

When and how to try them on

• Go later in the day. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons notes that feet swell during the day and recommends trying on shoes at the end of the day or after a workout.
• Bring your running socks. The same academy suggests wearing the type of sock you normally use for the sport. A thick winter sock and a thin summer one can make the same shoe feel like two different sizes.
• Try both feet. If one foot feels snugger than the other, choose the size that suits that one.
• Move in them. Walk, jog, try the shop's treadmill or the pavement outside if they let you. Standing still in a shoe tells you very little.
• Try several. Put a few pairs on in a row and compare. Feel tends to become obvious quickly when you can switch back and forth.

Why a specialist shop helps

A good running shop is not about being sold the most expensive pair. It is about staff who run, a wide range to try, and, often, a chance to jog on a treadmill or outside. Tell them where you run (roads, park paths, trails), how often, and anything you have liked or disliked in previous shoes. Then ignore the price tag for a moment and choose by feel. If the pair you love is last season's colour on sale, even better.

Ignore most of the marketing

Shoe language is written to sell shoes. A few terms are useful to know, purely so you can translate:

• Cushioning: how soft the shoe feels underfoot. Some people love a soft ride, others prefer to feel the ground. Neither is wrong.
• Drop: the height difference between heel and forefoot. Worth noticing if you are switching from a very different shoe, otherwise just let your feet decide.
• Trail shoes: shoes with grippier, deeper soles for mud and loose ground. Only needed if you actually run off-road.
• Carbon plates and race shoes: designed for racing. Lovely toys, not required for anyone's Tuesday jog.

Everything else, "propulsive", "reactive", "engineered", is adjectives.